Hackers Are Definitely Going to Ruin Our Next Census

Right now, the 2020 Census seems pretty screwed. A 51-page report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office released today chose its words carefully, only using the word "cyber" (followed by "threat") in one section. But the opportunity for hackers to jump in and steal whatever they please seems about as easy as parking in a pull-through spot or leaving a manifesto on a Department of Justice website. In summary, here's what the Census Bureau didn't do last time around:

Control connectivity to key network devices and servers; identify and authenticate users; limit user access rights and permissions to only those necessary to perform official duties; encrypt data in transmission and at rest; monitor its systems and network; or ensure appropriate physical security controls were in place.

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Census data is, of course, legally protected, confidential information. Not in the sense that the nation ends up knowing nothing about its current size or composition. But while many fill out the forms in a huff, the data in its raw form possesses names and phone numbers and zip codes. It's private information. And it also informs the regular gerrymandering of political districts, which, depending on your feelings and its execution, can either end up with a Congressman using campaign funds to buy Michael Jackson memoribilia or Romney in the White House (or Obama).

There's still about seven years for the bureau to fix the system. And there's already recommendations for "training" and "deadlines" for "updating." But it seems like the Defense Department shouldn't be the only division of the federal government that'll be hiring cyberprotectors.